“Oh, my! Oh, my! How you talk!” exclaimed old Dan, looking as if he was really grievously insulted by the imputation that he was not an honest and upright citizen.
“Well, there’s no doubt in my mind that the men were here,” said the officer, turning to the boys; “but they’ve gone, and covered up their tracks mighty well, too.”
“More bad luck,” growled out Tom, gritting his teeth; “and just when we thought we had them, too. I don’t suppose we’ll ever see them again now.”
“It’s not likely,” admitted the policeman; “from what you have said they must be a band of slick fellows, all right.”
“But suppose this man Melville starts to manufacture that vanishing gun thing, can’t he be prosecuted?” asked Dick Dangler.
“Mr. Bowler says that such a slick man as he is would make just enough alterations in the model so that it wouldn’t be possible to prove that it was not his own idea. Such cases are very hard to prove, he says, and cost thousands of dollars. No; if the model is in Melville’s hands, there’s an end of it.”
This speech was the contribution of Jack, who had talked with the lawyer on this very subject. There being nothing more to be done at the stable, they came away, followed by a sarcastic grin from old Dan.
“You won’t never catch an old bird like me by putting salt on his tail,” he chuckled. “I wonder if them fellows took that model they set so much store by? Looked like so much junk to me, but I guess it must be valuable to them all right.” He peeped into the room where the consultation had been held and found that the model and papers had been taken. Jake Rook, in fact, in his dash for the alley had taken the model and stowed it under his coat, while Melville had grabbed up the papers.
The boys were sitting in the hotel that afternoon pondering fresh plans, when there came a sudden summons to the telephone.
“This is Captain Andrews,” came a voice at the other end when Jack answered it. “By the great horn spoon, but I’ve a valuable bit of information for you lads. It concerns those lubbers who stole the patent.”